New Mexico State University (NMSU), College of Health and Social Services, intends to host "Making Connections/Conexiones: An Interdisciplinary Conference to Address Disparities in Health Status in the American Southwest." The purpose of the conference is to utilize the Healthy Gente 2010 objectives as a framework to build a tripartite partnership between academic institutions, public agencies and practitioners in order to reduce the health disparities among Hispanics and American Indians who reside in the Southwest Border State Region. Healthy Gente 2010 is a health-planning tool developed by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and border state health representatives as a specifically designed and targeted version of Healthy People 2010 tailored for the U.S. - Mexico border region. Primary assignment is requested from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in order to ensure that the Healthy Gente objectives regarding reduction of cervical and breast cancer mortality are adequately addressed. Secondary assignment is requested from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in order to ensure that the Healthy Gente objectives regarding reduction of diabetes morbidity and mortality are adequately addressed. The conference will accommodate 400 individuals on the NMSU campus in Las Cruces, New Mexico on August 4-5, 2002. The format will feature three types of learning experiences via plenary sessions, simultaneous workshops and an action planning session. Participants may chose from three workshop tracks: 1) culturally competent approaches to enhancing health; 2) emerging behavioral health issue; and 3) preventing infectious and chronic disease. The action planning session, facilitated in self-selected groups, will yield an action agenda for the region that will be published and distributed as part of the proceedings. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be offered for nursing, health education, social work and counseling. An Advisory Committee consisting of representatives from the four border states will plan the conference. Four NMSU staff members (0.85 FTE) will be responsible for conference coordination. Contracted consultants will also assist with action planning facilitation, proceedings publication and evaluation. NMSU requests a total of $30,330 from NIH. A local health foundation has already committed a total of $15,000 to support the conference, including food costs, and NMSU will provide an in-kind contribution of more than $20,000 as well. We are also anticipating $45,000 in registration fees.